BRADLEY Wright-Phillips will be catching up with a few former classmates when he returns to Eastlands on Sunday.

Waiting with open arms for the Southampton striker on FA Cup fourth-round day will be fellow City Academy graduates Nedum Onuoha, Micah Richards, Ishmael Miller and Stevie Ireland.

The Blues quartet have already been taunting their erstwhile pal from afar and have stepped up their telephone barrage since Stuart Pearce's side crept through their third-round replay with Sheffield Wednesday.

"I have rung Bradley and told him not to start thinking about scoring against us," laughed Richards, who has maintained his friendship with BWP, despite being three years younger than the striker.

Onuoha, meanwhile, has been following a similar path to Richards, teasing and joking with the 21-year-old former Blue.

"There have been text messages and phone calls, I think Bradley was pleased that we beat Sheffield Wednesday," he said.

"All the lads who came through the Academy system tend to be close friends and that doesn't change because someone leaves. There will be plenty of banter before the game and we will all be desperate to be on the winning side."

It is clear how important the FA Cup is to the young Blues Wright-Phillips left behind when he moved south.

"Last season, we were unlucky losing to West Ham in the quarter-finals, but there is no reason why we can't go all the way this time," said Richards. "The fans are desperate for success and deserve to see us win a trophy."